editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Pam Fessler is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where she covers poverty and philanthropy.In her reporting, Fessler covers homelessness, hunger, and the impact of the recession on the nation's less fortunate. She reports on non-profit groups, how they're trying to address poverty and other social issues, and how they've been affected by the economic downturn. Her poverty reporting was recognized by a 2011 First Place Headliner Award in the human interest category.Previously, Fessler reported primarily on homeland security, including security at U.S. ports, airlines, and borders. She has also reported on the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, the 9/11 Commission investigation, and such issues as Social Security and election reform. Fessler was also one of NPR's White House reporters during the Clinton and Bush administrations.Before becoming a correspondent, Fessler was the acting senior editor on the Washington Desk and oversaw the network's coverage of the impeachmentNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Pam FesslerWed, 30 Nov 2016 08:20:26 +0000Pam Fesslerhttp://wrvo.org
Pam FesslerRemember a couple of years ago, when it seemed like we were all one big happy family, Americans of every age and political stripe, joined in common pursuit? Millions of us spent that summer pouring buckets of ice water on our heads, to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.Philanthropy has always played a big role in the United States, helping to shape who we are, what we do and how. Now it's the subject of a new exhibit called "Giving in America" at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge turned out to be one of the most successful fundraising efforts in U.S. history. But museum curator Bonnie Lilienfeld says it had a very modest beginning — a blue plastic bucket that you might use for a mop.The pail belonged to a New York woman, Jeanette Senerchia, whose husband has ALS. A relative challenged her to dump ice on her head to raise awareness about the degenerativeA Giving History: Smithsonian Exhibit Showcases Americans' Charitable Actshttp://wrvo.org/post/giving-history-smithsonian-exhibit-showcases-americans-charitable-acts
96595 as http://wrvo.orgTue, 29 Nov 2016 23:00:00 +0000A Giving History: Smithsonian Exhibit Showcases Americans' Charitable ActsPam FesslerHomelessness in the U.S. declined over the past year. Even so, there were large increases in several cities, including Los Angeles and Seattle.Overall, almost 550,000 individuals were homeless on a single night earlier this year, according to a new report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. (This report will be available online after 10:30 a.m. ET) That's a 3 percent decline from 2015, and continues a downward trend in homelessness over the past few years. The numbers are based on a count conducted in January by communities across the country.There were also declines in almost every homeless category, including veterans, families and the chronically homeless.But some areas bucked the trend. Washington, D.C., saw a 14.4 percent increase in homelessness, over 1,000 more people, and there were an additional 2,680 homeless people in Los Angeles County, an increase of 6.5 percent. The Dallas and Seattle areas also had big increases, 21.3 and 6.0 percent, respectively.AllHomelessness In The U.S. Was Down Slightly Over The Past Yearhttp://wrvo.org/post/homelessness-us-was-down-slightly-over-past-year
96158 as http://wrvo.orgThu, 17 Nov 2016 05:01:00 +0000Homelessness In The U.S. Was Down Slightly Over The Past YearPam FesslerPoverty was one of the forgotten issues on the campaign trail this election season. Now, many who work with the nation's poor worry that it will be even more forgotten under a Trump administration and the new Republican Congress.Mariana Chilton, who runs the Center for Hunger Free Communities at Drexel University, doesn't remember Donald Trump saying much about poor people during the presidential campaign, but she does remember a comment he made about a protester who was being removed from one of his rallies."You know it's amazing, I mention food stamps and that guy who's seriously overweight went crazy," Trump said, as the crowd cheered. "He went crazy."Chilton thinks such comments by Trump have set a tone that will very likely spill over into his administration."What Trump has done is he's brought out a lot of vitriol about people of color, people living in poverty," she says. "And that kind of attitude will make it easier for the Republicans to cut health care benefits and foodAnti-Poverty Advocates Brace For How Trump Will Fill In Policy Blankshttp://wrvo.org/post/anti-poverty-advocates-brace-how-trump-will-fill-policy-blanks
96125 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 16 Nov 2016 13:01:00 +0000Anti-Poverty Advocates Brace For How Trump Will Fill In Policy BlanksPam FesslerThe U.S. Justice Department says it will have more than 500 monitors and observers out Tuesday watching polling sites in 28 states. They'll be looking for any voting rights violations, such as whether voters are discriminated against because of their race or language."The bedrock of our democracy is the right to vote, and the Department of Justice works tirelessly to uphold that right, not only on Election Day, but every day," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.This number of observers and monitors is about two-thirds the number of people the department had watching the polls in 2012. The reduction is due to the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling striking down a key portion of the Voting Rights Act, which the department says authorized the use of DOJ observers in states and other jurisdictions covered by the law. Those areas were under federal oversight because of past discrimination against voters.The change also means that of the 500 personnel, fewer DOJ personnel will beWith Fewer Legal Tools In Hand, Justice Department Prepares To Monitor Electionhttp://wrvo.org/post/fewer-legal-tools-hand-justice-department-prepares-monitor-election
95746 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 07 Nov 2016 15:54:00 +0000With Fewer Legal Tools In Hand, Justice Department Prepares To Monitor ElectionPam FesslerCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit MARTIN, HOST: There's been a lot of talk this election season about the integrity of Tuesday's vote. Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested the vote might be rigged against him and urged his supporters to monitor the polls. Democrats say that could cause illegal voter intimidation or even violence. But even before that, Democrats and some others have complained that some states are trying to find other ways to keep Democratic-leaning voters from the polls by reducing the number of polling places and hours, allowing long lines. Even nonpartisans are concerned about whether voting machines will work or be susceptible to hacking. NPR's Pam Fessler covers voting issues, and we called her to help us sort out what voters should and should not be worried about and what they can do if they do run into a problem. And she's with us now. Pam, thanks so much for joining us. PAM FESSLER, BYLINE: You're welcome. MARTIN: So how worried should voters be thatWhat To Make Of The Claims Of Vote-Rigging And Voter Intimidationhttp://wrvo.org/post/what-make-claims-vote-rigging-and-voter-intimidation
95723 as http://wrvo.orgSun, 06 Nov 2016 22:19:00 +0000What To Make Of The Claims Of Vote-Rigging And Voter IntimidationPam FesslerOne question on many people's minds is whether polling places will be disrupted on Election Day. There are concerns that vigilantes, armed with cameras and notebooks, will intimidate voters they suspect of committing fraud. Such groups insist they'll follow the law, but civil rights groups are on alert just in case.There have already been some disturbing incidents. In Durham, N.C., a voter reported someone videotaping license plates outside an early-polling site. In West Palm Beach, Fla., a voter complained of being intimidated by a rowdy group of electioneers.A right-wing group called Oath Keepers has appealed to its members, mostly former military and police, to go undercover at polling sites and collect intelligence about possible fraud.In an online video, the group's president, Stewart Rhodes, asked supporters "to go out as part of our call to action, to go and hunt down, look for vote fraud and voter intimidation and document it, to do the best we can to stop it this election.Plans To Watch Polls For Fraud Raise Fears Of Intimidation http://wrvo.org/post/plans-watch-polls-fraud-raise-fears-intimidation
95453 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 31 Oct 2016 21:41:00 +0000Plans To Watch Polls For Fraud Raise Fears Of Intimidation Pam FesslerVote flipping. The stories and conspiracy theories have begun.In every recent election, there have been reports of voters pressing one candidate's name on a touch-screen machine, only to have the opponent's name light up instead.It can be unnerving for voters and often leads to allegations that the machines have been "rigged" to favor one candidate over another.Enter election 2016, when the word "rigged" is more politically charged than ever. In the first few days of early voting, there are already scattered reports of vote-flipping machines in North Carolina, Texas and Nevada.The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP sent a letter to the state's board of elections Monday after voters complained that machines had flipped votes in five counties. The group noted that, in each case, the voter was able to correct the error before the ballot was cast. But it asked the board to remove malfunctioning machines and to post signs reminding voters to check their ballots before submitting them.TheSome Machines Are Flipping Votes, But That Doesn't Mean They're Riggedhttp://wrvo.org/post/some-machines-are-flipping-votes-doesnt-mean-theyre-rigged
95248 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 26 Oct 2016 17:13:00 +0000Some Machines Are Flipping Votes, But That Doesn't Mean They're RiggedPam FesslerMore than 35 million eligible voters in the U.S. — about one in six — have a disability. And in the last presidential election, almost a third of voters with disabilities reported having trouble casting their ballots — whether it was getting into the polling place, reading the ballot, or struggling with a machine.Despite some improvements, many of these voters are expected to face similar problems again this year.Ian Watlington, of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), demonstrates why. He has cerebral palsy and needs to use a wheelchair to get up a long concrete ramp outside a church in Washington, D.C."It is one of those ramps that everybody thinks is absolutely perfect," he says.But as he struggles to get up it, it's clear that it's not perfect. Watlington says the slope is fairly steep, which means some people in wheelchairs could tip backward. At the top, he finds another problem."Right when you turn to get into the main door, you have a pretty substantial crack in theVoters With Disabilities Fight For More Accessible Polling Placeshttp://wrvo.org/post/voters-disabilities-fight-more-accessible-polling-places
95165 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 24 Oct 2016 18:59:00 +0000Voters With Disabilities Fight For More Accessible Polling PlacesPam FesslerAt a hearing last month on the possible hacking of voting machines, Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler said he was more worried about something else. The real threat on Election Day, said Schedler, is violence at the polls.Poll workers across the country are on high alert after the recent firebombing of a Republican Party headquarters in North Carolina and reports that two armed men lingered for hours outside a Democratic campaign office in Virginia. Some feel that Donald Trump's claim that the election is rigged, and his suggestion that supporters and their friends to go to polling places to "watch," are rhetorical time bombs."You know, it's unfortunate that we have to do this, but we want to be overly prepared," said Amber McReynolds, the director of elections for the city and county of Denver. "We have added in an active shooter training into our election judge training."McReynolds says she wants poll workers to be prepared to handle any scenario in a calm and responsive way.Poll Workers Are Hoping For Calm But Preparing For The Worsthttp://wrvo.org/post/poll-workers-are-hoping-calm-preparing-worst
94961 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 19 Oct 2016 09:07:00 +0000Poll Workers Are Hoping For Calm But Preparing For The WorstPam FesslerIt's no secret that voter registration lists are filled with inaccuracies. People move. Or change their names. Or die. But it can take months if not years for the rolls to get updated. Now, conservative groups are taking a number of election officials to court, saying they're not doing their jobs. Liberal groups think the real purpose is to make it more difficult for some people to vote.The lawsuits have targeted about a dozen counties so far in Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Mississippi. And even some cities, such as Philadelphia and Alexandria, Va."This is an effort to make the voter rolls cleaner and to follow federal law before the elections in November," says J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation. His group is behind the suits, along with the American Civil Rights Union. Adams is a former Justice Department official who has been at the forefront of efforts to restore what he calls "election integrity."Adams says they have identified over 200Conservatives File Voter Registration Lawsuits That Liberals Say Are Blocking Voteshttp://wrvo.org/post/conservatives-file-voter-registration-lawsuits-liberals-say-are-blocking-votes
93929 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 21 Sep 2016 18:28:00 +0000Conservatives File Voter Registration Lawsuits That Liberals Say Are Blocking VotesPam FesslerIt's rare to get good news when it comes to hunger. But the government says there was a big drop last year in the number of people in the country struggling to get enough to eat, especially children.Overall, 15.8 million U.S. households, or 12.7 percent, experienced what the government calls "food insecurity" at some point during 2015. That's compared to about 17.4 million households — or 14 percent — in 2014, according to a new report by the Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.When a family is "food insecure," that means they have a difficult time getting enough to eat, or the right kinds of food to eat, because they lack money or other resources.The percentage of families that faced actual hunger — or "very low food security" — also declined. In 2015, at least some members of about 6.3 million households missed meals or experienced hunger. In 2014, about 6.9 million households had very low food security.Most of the time, these families shield children from hunger.Number Of Hungry U.S. Kids Drops To Lowest Level Since Before Great Recessionhttp://wrvo.org/post/number-hungry-us-kids-drops-lowest-level-great-recession
93374 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 07 Sep 2016 21:24:00 +0000Number Of Hungry U.S. Kids Drops To Lowest Level Since Before Great RecessionPam FesslerTens of thousands of Americans with disabilities have lost their voting rights. It usually happens when a court assigns a legal guardian to handle their affairs. Now, some of those affected are fighting to get back those rights.David Rector recently went to Superior Court in San Diego, Calif., to file a request to have his voting rights restored. Rector lost those rights in 2011 when his fiance, Rosalind Alexander-Kasparik, was appointed his conservator after a brain injury left him unable to walk or speak.Alexander-Kasparik says he was still able to communicate his wishes to a court clerk."He did manage to say through his electronic voice on his eye-tracking device, 'I, David Rector, want my voting rights restored, immediately,'" she told supporters outside the courthouse.That's crucial, because under a new California law, individuals with guardians have to express a desire to vote to be able to do so.Rector, who used to work as a producer for NPR, is believed to be one of more thanDisabled And Fighting For The Right To Votehttp://wrvo.org/post/disabled-and-fighting-right-vote
93248 as http://wrvo.orgSun, 04 Sep 2016 10:00:00 +0000Disabled And Fighting For The Right To VotePam FesslerCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.FBI Warns State Election Offices To Be Wary Of Hackershttp://wrvo.org/post/fbi-warns-state-election-offices-be-wary-hackers
93098 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 31 Aug 2016 10:04:00 +0000FBI Warns State Election Offices To Be Wary Of HackersPam FesslerTwenty years ago, welfare as Americans knew it ended.President Bill Clinton signed a welfare overhaul bill that limited benefits and encouraged poor people to find jobs."We're going to make it all new again, and see if we can't create a system of incentives which reinforce work and family and independence," Clinton said at a White House bill signing ceremony.The goals were admirable: help poor families get into the workforce so they'd no longer need government aid. They'd get job training and support, such as help with child care.But the results have been mixed.The new program did work for millions of families, but not all. Many of the most disadvantaged people have been unable to get or keep jobs, and they're worse off than they were before, in part because there's now a five-year lifetime limit on welfare benefits — and in some states, it's lower. Arizona this year cut the limit to one year. The idea was that people would be encouraged to find work if they knew their monthly checks20 Years Since Welfare's Overhaul, Results Are Mixedhttp://wrvo.org/post/20-years-welfares-overhaul-results-are-mixed
92717 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 22 Aug 2016 09:02:00 +000020 Years Since Welfare's Overhaul, Results Are MixedPam FesslerThe recent hacking of Democratic Party databases — and strong suspicions that the Russian government is involved — have led to new fears that America's voting systems are vulnerable to attack and that an outsider could try to disrupt the upcoming elections.A cyberattack on U.S. elections isn't as far-fetched as you might think. Just a week and a half ago, Illinois election officials shut down that state's voter registration database after discovering it had been hacked. In June, Arizona took its voter registration system offline after the FBI warned it too might have been hacked, although no evidence of that was found.In May, security analyst David Levin was arrested after he gained access to the Lee County, Fla., elections website. Levin said in a YouTube video he was only trying to show how vulnerable the system was: "Yeah, you could be in Siberia and still perform the attack that I performed on the local supervisor of election website. So this is very important." The county says theHacking An Election: Why It's Not As Far-Fetched As You Might Thinkhttp://wrvo.org/post/hacking-election-why-its-not-far-fetched-you-might-think
91851 as http://wrvo.orgMon, 01 Aug 2016 21:18:00 +0000Hacking An Election: Why It's Not As Far-Fetched As You Might ThinkPam FesslerCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.Federal Appeals Court Throws Out North Carolina's Voter ID Lawhttp://wrvo.org/post/federal-appeals-court-throws-out-north-carolinas-voter-id-law
91729 as http://wrvo.orgFri, 29 Jul 2016 20:10:00 +0000Federal Appeals Court Throws Out North Carolina's Voter ID LawPam FesslerIt's not often — if ever — that presidential nominees use footnotes in their acceptance speeches.But last night, Donald Trump used 282 of them in the written version of his acceptance speech — to bolster what he promised would be a presentation of the "facts plainly and honestly." I was footnote number 145.Trump told the Republican audience that if they wanted to hear "the corporate spin, the carefully-crafted lies and the media myths" they should go to the Democratic convention.But then almost all the footnotes he used relied on articles from the mainstream media — The New York Times, CBS News, CNN, Forbes, NPR — the very people he had just criticized.Trump talked a lot about rising crime, for example: "Homicides last year increased by 17% in America's fifty largest cities. That's the largest increase in 25 years. In our nation's capital, killings have risen by 50 percent," he said.The source? The Washington Post — the media organization Trump called "phony and dishonest" not long agoTrump Cited My Work In His Speech — But He Missed The Pointhttp://wrvo.org/post/trump-cited-my-work-his-speech-he-missed-point
91397 as http://wrvo.orgFri, 22 Jul 2016 20:52:00 +0000Trump Cited My Work In His Speech — But He Missed The PointPam FesslerMore than 9,000 former felons have registered to vote in Virginia since April, when the governor issued an executive order restoring voting rights to more than 200,000 ex-offenders. Democrat Terry McAuliffe said the residents, who are no longer in prison, had paid their debt to society.But Republicans are suing the governor. They say McAuliffe overstepped his authority and that trying to restore rights to so many people all at once has led to mistakes. The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case July 19.In the meantime, voting rights groups are trying to register ex-offenders as quickly as they can. Matt Rogers, an organizer with the progressive group New Virginia Majority had luck recently when he randomly stopped people in the streets of Arlington, Virginia to see if they were registered to vote. The first person he asked was Roger Coles, who has a felony record and was eager to sign up."I voted once before I got into trouble," said Coles, explaining that was back in 1997.In Virginia, A Battle To Give Former Felons The Right To Votehttp://wrvo.org/post/virginia-battle-give-former-felons-right-vote
90636 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 06 Jul 2016 09:21:49 +0000In Virginia, A Battle To Give Former Felons The Right To VotePam FesslerAs the presidential election nears, a number of important voting law cases are still up in the air. And that can be confusing — for voters trying to figure out what they do or don't need to cast their ballots, for election officials trying to figure out how to run elections, and for politicians trying to make sure supporters get out and vote.Here's a brief guide on where some of the big cases stand, as of the end of June. More rulings are expected, although courts are reluctant to make major voting law changes too close to Election Day.North Carolina Voter ID And Other ChangesThe state made sweeping voting law changes in 2013, right after the Supreme Court struck down a provision of the Voting Rights Act that might have prevented the law from taking effect.The U.S. Justice Department, the state NAACP and other advocacy groups have been fighting the changes ever since. They say the law discriminates against minorities and is unconstitutional. Among other things, it requires voters toA Guide To The Big Photo ID, Early Voting And Other Voting Law Cases http://wrvo.org/post/guide-big-photo-id-early-voting-and-other-voting-law-cases
90425 as http://wrvo.orgThu, 30 Jun 2016 14:21:00 +0000A Guide To The Big Photo ID, Early Voting And Other Voting Law Cases Pam FesslerLocal communities are increasingly passing laws to control crime and nuisances on rental properties. They do so mostly by limiting the number of times police can be called to a residence. But it turns out that crime victims — especially victims of domestic abuse — are often the ones who end up being penalized.Lakisha Briggs of Norristown, Pa., was one of those victims. When her boyfriend started abusing her several years ago, her grown daughter called the police. Before leaving, one of the officers warned Briggs that this was her first strike. She couldn't believe what she was hearing."He just was like, we just gonna make sure your landlord evict you. And I'm like, my landlord evict me? For what? Like, I didn't even do anything," she recalls.But Norristown had what's known as a nuisance property ordinance. Her landlord could be fined and have his rental license suspended, if police were called to the property more than three times in four months for "disorderly behavior." Unless, thatFor Low-Income Victims, Nuisance Laws Force Ultimatum: Silence Or Evictionhttp://wrvo.org/post/low-income-victims-nuisance-laws-force-ultimatum-silence-or-eviction
90397 as http://wrvo.orgWed, 29 Jun 2016 20:28:00 +0000For Low-Income Victims, Nuisance Laws Force Ultimatum: Silence Or Eviction